White Christmas in the Nordics- Oslo, Bergen

Yea! We've arrived at the 2nd leg of our Arctic grandeur: Norway!

Itinerary at a Glance

1. Oslo

2. Flam, Aurland (the fjords are so pretty that they deserve a separate post!)

3. Bergen

With a population slightly over 5 million, and petroleum export as one of its main industry, it is no wonder that this nation ranks Top 10 in terms of GDP per capita and is one of the richest country in the world. They rejected joining the EU, hence the currency used is NOK (Norwegian Krones). 

I've always heard how expensive Scandinavian was, but little did I expect that expensive means S$17 for a Mc Fillet?! And don't even go near the liquor. You can buy a beer fountain in Munich! At times like this, the brain processed the maths exceptionally fast and shopping was surprisingly rational. The cheapest cafe we found: a 6-inch sandwich with a bottled mineral water, S$22. 

Tighten that wallet & Welcome to Norway! ;)

Heartbeat of Oslo

Oslo, the capital is certainly a vibrant city. Throngs of foreigners and tourists. Lively it may seems, but I did not quite enjoy. It is like walking along Orchard Road and squeezing with the crowd. There is the obvious unspoken discrimination by locals and foreigners working in Oslo. They'll give you a nasty eye-down followed by bad customer service. I don't blame them though. Similar to Singapore's situation, the huge influx of migrants and asylum seekers could possibly lead to the local's xenophobia. However, as a tourist, this ostracise certainly taste bad and l'm glad I'd stayed for only 1 night. 

But oh! Their Santa Claus was one friendly dude!  

Akershus medieval Fortress built to protect Oslo. This was once used as a prison too. Crows were abundant in this guarded premise. 

Circling overhead and cawing with the skies grey and gloomy, a witch or vampire will complete this magnified eerie atmosphere.  

Christmas market selling their wares. The sky-high prices deterred my innate ability to shop.
Who says women are irrational? ;)
 

An NSB train from Oslo brought us to Flam & Aurland (separate post), followed by a bus and a train to finally arrive at the 2nd largest city of Norway: Bergen! 

Bergen is a colourful seaside town and the gateway to the majestic Fjords. The city is small and almost all attractions can be done on foot. 

My favourite is the Bryggen UNESCO heritage site, the oldest part in Bergen. 

Rows of vibrant wooden houses which were once ravaged by fire are now reconstructed and they slant towards one another. With its winding cobbled lanes and colourful houses, Bergen is irresistibly charming!

Bryggen. (Means wharf in Norwegian).

Pretty wharf area, and the Floibanen funicular station to go up Mt Floyen for a bird's eye view of Bergen.  

Don't you wish your office or home is one of these pretty wood? :)
These are the houses built at the base of Mount Floyen.

Norwegian salmon! Sashimi at its best. To me, the freshness and sweetness you get from Japan's sashimi is unparalleled! Nonetheless, the Fisk Torget (located near Bryggen) sells fresh crustacean, albeit the high price. When it comes to seafood, my belly controls the drooling nervous system.

Trekking Mt. Floyen with an amazing view! 

Alright! Stay tune for the amazing Fjords scenery in the next post! 

White Christmas in the Nordics- Finland

Well, before I procrastinate, let me pen down my 1 month Nordic 2013 Christmas trip!

This series will be in 3 parts: Finland, Norway and Sweden. And, nope, I did not add to the robber statistics. The entire trip was kept under S$ 5,000. So, travel bugs out there who love travel and comfort yet do not want to burst your budget. Read on! ;)

Public's perception of Finland especially during winter are: booze (count in gallons ), depressed and drunk Finns, dark gloomy skies and boredom- with only Santa Claus to its name.

Undeniably, the sun does sinks at 3pm. But activities doesn't halt like a blackout in Helsinki.  

Walking in the heart of the capital,  rows of red wooden huts starkly juxtaposed the pale winter skies,  selling the season must-drink Gloggi, pastries, baked salmon, and candles and everything to do with Santa Claus.  

The city was enveloped in romantic fairy lights and candles telling you that 'It is Christmas time!'. 

This season is warm and bright, despite the -20 bone numbing cold. 

Itinerary at a Glance:

1. Helsinki        2. Rovaniemi and Pyha         3. Raseborg

Vibrant Aleksanterinkatu is the major shopping belt. 3 H&M beckoning to empty your wallet.

Our cosy red wooden cottage with a private BBQ hut and sauna!
Not to mention that it is located right on the bank of a frozen lake.

 A domestic flight to Rovaniemi city followed by a 3hrs drive north brought us to Pyha Ski Resort. Aurora deserted us. But, one shouldn't plan a winter trip focused only on the green lights! 

Try staying in one of the red cottages and experience the:

Finnish sauna: crazy endurance to 70C or more, then run outside to admire the galaxy and plonk yourself into the snow- naked (if you dare). 

Finnish BBQ: Enclosed inside a hut so this smokes not only the salmon, but you as well! Nice experience but I would rather this in summer when I can open the windows and doors. 

Bake the traditional Christmas pastry- Joulutortut, ride a husky sled and, take a photo with Santa! That man is expensive! 20 euros for a picture! 

In the Santa Claus Village. A total rip-off for tourists like us who want to see the 'real' Santa. Nothing much differs except his height hence the longer beard. I think I'm ok with the Singapore version, free some more heh!

Pyha Ski Resort is a true winter paradise for skiers! 

We decided to try ice climbing with Bliss Adventure as glacier walking was impossible due to the thick snow blanket. A 2hr hour session (per group) costs 70 euros/pax. The price is steep but well, the experience was worthwhile. Using crampons and ice axes, you try to find your balance by kicking into the ice, and hacking and hoisting your way up. Sounds easy? I felt like I'd run a full marathon after this. Despite of my energy expenditure, I'm less than 3m from my starting point. =O.O=

If not for the hefty price tag, this sport would be one of my to-do during winter!

Ice climbing, a real muscle endurance sports.

Ranua Zoo, where all the Arctic animals hibernate. 

If this adorable Arctic Fox is not a reason compelling enough for us to visit, I don't know what is! 

Donsby B&B. These red cottages are certainly a magnet to me.

An hour's drive from the city brought us to Raseborg. Strolling down the idayllic old town with its centuries- old wooden houses is a walk down memory lane.  You can estimate the age of these houses by the design of the window panes, and imagine the life and those living then.

The sky was surprisingly azure blue that day, and the sun blazed like it has never encountered winter.

A romantic place to reminisce the past and talk about the future over the excellent Finnish pastries and coffee.

Winter for me is never depressing, 
The mentality is ~

Cafe Gamla Stan serves homemade pastries. They were so good, we ate 3!
At 'critical' moment like this, forget the waistline! 

A stroll in Gamla Stan along the sea. Every turn is beautifully painted in red, brown, blue. 

Inland Baltic Sea. 

Cycling into the Edo Period

Kyoto 京都市 , Here we come! 

A 4hr bus drive from Kanazawa brought us to Kyoto! I have been here once during the summer, and Kyoto with its Edo charm is worth a second visit.  

And of course, with the great weather, the best way to explore Kyoto is on a bicycle! 

Fushimi Inari Shrine (伏見稲荷大社) is famous for its thousands of torii gates, which straddle a network of trails behind its main buildings. These trails lead into the forest of the sacred Mount Inari, which stands at 233m. 

Giant torii gate at the shrine's entrance

The Japanese way of communicating to the deities- you gotta ring on the bell. To alert them I guess?

There are numerous fox (kitsune) statues across the shrine grounds as they are believed to be Inari's messengers. Kitsune Udon (きつねうどん), also known as Fox Udon, is a popular must-eat in that area. Japanese believes that fox enjoys eating the deep fried tofu, hence uses it to worship the foxes at Inari Shrine. You can also find the inarisushi (稲荷寿司) in those restaurant. 

The iconic Golden Temple: Kinkakuji (金閣寺). 

The extravagant architecture of this Zen temple is different for each floors and covered in gold leaf for the top 2 floors. 

Nestled amongst the traditional wooden merchant houses in the back streets of Gion, lies the highly-raved dessert jewel: Kyo-Kinana (祇園きなな). We ordered 1 chestnut parfait as it was the autumn's speciality, 1 green tea and black sesame parfait, and 2 scoops of home-made green tea ice cream. 

I'm no food connoisseur but these were darn good! Our eyes literally popped out  like this -> =O.O=  Ok, parfait first: I usually dislike parfait because those I encountered were layered with loads of cream, ice-cream, and hard cookies. As a result, the entire dessert tasted like ice-cream kachang. 

But, Kinana's parfait was PER-FECT! Maybe more than perfect. As can be seen, each layer is different, the chestnut cream, biscotti, and soft biscuits formed the apex, followed by a scoop of vanilla ice cream and wafer slices, and chestnut ice cream formed the base. 

The concerted effect of different tastes and textures made every mouthful a delight.

 And the chestnut cream? That knocked my socks off~ 100% pure chestnut. 

Not overtly sweet, ah...the lingering aroma of chestnut...

The presentation of these desserts speaks for the passion and pride Kinana has. 

I just hoped autumn would stay a lil longer when I had that last mouthful. 

Petite home-made green tea ice cream which left us craving for more! They striked a great balance between milk and matcha. How can the Japanese excel in everything!! 

Kinana is very popular even with the locals, to avoid disappointment, head there early!

~ Autumn never tasted this good ~ 

Shirakawa-go & Kanazawa

UNESCO Heritage Site: 白川郷 Shirakawa-go  

We continued our self-drive journey from Nakamurakan onsen to the picturesque village of Shirakawago, famous for its gasshō-zukuri (合掌造り) houses.

These houses are unique for their architectural style which is characterized by a thatched and steeply slanting roof resembling two hands joined in prayer, known as the 'prayer-hands construction'. 

This design allows the houses to withstand and shed the weight of the tremendous snowfall.

Stretching across the Gifu and Toyoma prefectures, this area resides within the Japan Alps region hence, experiences heavy snowfall and ski resorts with their acclaimed powdery slopes are in the vicinity. 

An ideal place for a 3D2N stay during winter! 

Shirakawa-go covered in a thick white blanket! Isn't it lovely?
Picture courtesy from Japan Ski Experience. 

I'm not sure how or when did we get addicted to the idea of self-drive trips. Perhaps its the freedom we get planning our time & route. Language barrier can form the bulk of reason people usually join tour groups, or maybe the hassle of planning the route (I planned this for a few mths. But it's my interest so I don't really mind it).

But getting lost is part of the fun isn't it? 

You get to speak to the locals and meet some really nice ones, able to travel at your own pace (no angsty tour mates to give you the death stare when you're just a min late) and the best part, no more blurry shots from the moving vehicle cause' you get to at least slow down, and snap away at the random pretties! 

In Japan, it can be a lil' tough as the GPS is in Japanese (I can't remb if they have Eng) and don't expect  the locals to speak in English especially if it's the countryside. My sister and I left the communication piece entirely to sharkie. 

Nonetheless, with the road signs, designated highways, and abit of inference skills with common sense, you won't drive to Rome ;)

Every turn on the freeway deserves an exclamation- WOWWW! 

What's better than a rainbow to start our journey for the day? :)

The jubilant display of vivid rustic colours greeted us at the entrance!

These rice fields provide the villagers' staple, and the straw collected after harvest were used to build these unique houses. Such ingenious idea :) Yes, Japanese ~

Neatly stacked straw roof. Some of these houses have been converted into souvenir shops or restaurants. There are still natives living in the villages and they provide lodging for foreigners who wish to experience rural living.
A night during winter would prove to be a magical experience!
Hope to be back there again~

After a few hours stop at the village, we continued our journey to Kanazawa for lunch. All because I read the blog post by女王 and got enticed by all the seafood pics that I simply had to visit, even though if it's just for that few hours!! i can be quite irrational when it comes to food, especially the crustaceans. Now, you know my stomach controls my brain. 

Look at that galore!! Everything was so fresh, it's as if these creatures were still alive! 

Entrance to my wonderland: The Omi-cho Market! It is a huge market with about 170 stores selling fresh fish and seafood caught in the Sea of Japan, vegetables, fruits. We were right smack in the season of the crabs, sweet shrimps and fish. 

If I were to have my last meal on this Earth, take me to Japan and give me these cholesterol meanies!  

To the World Above the Clouds & Onsen for Royalty

          The Shin-hotaka Ropeway (新穂高ロープウェイ)

          is the first in Japan to use the double-decker cabins!

Our destination of the day: Self-drive trip from Takayama to Shin-Hotaka Ropeway and the Ohuida onsen. 

We were lucky that autumn was at its peak when we visited the mountain range. 

Astounding view! 

Though I did wonder if the Japanese seeded the trees according to their colours, because they were in neat distinctive rows!

Rows of trees glimmered in yellow and orange hues; evergreens contrasted the passage of time, and the Alps clad in their white, we can only be amazed by Nature's art piece.

The ropeway brought us to the Alps observation deck at 2,156m elevation above sea level. The cute post box is the highest in Japan! Unfortunately, we could not see the Alps due to the heavy fog blanket nonetheless, the mini hailstones brought out the child in us :D 

~ The best autumn picturesque I have ever come across ~

A few hours at the ropeway before we drove to the nearby Okuhida Onsen (our lodging for the night) located in the valley at the base of the Hotaka Mountains which offer nice views of the surrounding Northern Alps.

The rotemburo (outdoor baths) in Nakamurakan (中村館). 

Our lodging for 1 night. Meals- inclusive onsen stay. It costs a whooping S$200/ pax. 

Now you know why we can't even stay an additional night :(

Baths (indoors and outdoors) are separated by gender, and we (by that I mean my sister & I went into one, and shark had the other bath entirely to himself) tried the private outdoor bath after the grandeur dinner! 

Soaking our tummies in the warm water whilst the chill night wind caressing our faces, and the quietness of the surroundings. So this was how royalty were treated in the past! Ah...Life must be dam good!

 We woke up early and went to the baths again before checking out. Must fully utilise our money! 

Our grandeur dinner. The spread was more than what I could capture. Everything was served in sequence, and the presentation looked too good to be eaten. 

What could be better than a scrumptious dinner after an onsen bath on a cold autumn night ?! 

See the layout of the dining hall ?! I wonder if they used ruler. 

Our breakfast before checking out. It is always a pleasure to wake up to a spread of healthy breakfast. The miso paste is home-made and goes so well with the rice. Japanese food is just so clean & exquisite.  They have the ability to make the simplest food taste great effortlessly. 

Even their eggs taste much better~ 

And no, I am not exaggerating. 

Have I not reiterate enough? Japan is simply amazing ;)